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Essay: Keys to school success

12:55 a.m. EDT August 31, 2014

John
Bliss -
-Text: John Bliss. Former city school board candidate and former School 14 teacher who is opening the Urban Choice Charter School in Rochester in 2005. For Heather Hare future stories. (Photo by Staff photographer Karin von Voigtlander)(Photo: Karin von Voigtlander)

Leaders in education and business have different philosophies about how to best improve schools. Educators tend to promote autonomy, compassion and ensuring there are adequate support systems while business models stress accountability, frequent assessment and evidence based practices. The fact is that the most successful schools are empathetic and detailed. Imagine having Gates and Ghandi put their ideas into practice as one. The framework for success, regardless of philosophy is the same. Great planning, preparation and the right people are required.

Great schools like thriving businesses have a design that describes all of its systems. Exceptional planning describes how everything works. Expectations are clear and all elements are constructed so they support the mission. There is consistency in focus that connects all of the parts. In schools learning is the priority so every element of the design must be articulated to promote and support student progress. This is no small task.

A great plan is no good if there is not sufficient preparation. Readiness and methods to ensure sustainability must in place. School staff, students and their families must understand what is expected, how things work and what the consequences will be if anyone of them falls short. Many schools fail before they open because they under value this stage. Allowing teachers and school staff a day or two to prepare is crazy. Schools should allow for 2-3 weeks for full staff preparation and training. This has to happen regardless of philosophy or methodology.

Planning and preparation are somewhat stagnant processes. Expertise, resources and a commitment to readiness are things any school should be able to attain. Unfortunately, people are not so predictable. Schools like businesses are only as good as the people who work in them, and in most cases it is the workers who determine success as much or more than the plan or preparation. This is especially true in urban schools where positive relationships are essential. The people in the schools must be willing and able to reach out and embrace the impossible task in front of them and administrative systems need to support this commitment. Only then will student lives be positively changed.

Urban schools can be incredibly successful but the three elements above need to be in place. If one is lacking then success is impossible. We can no longer look for simple, isolated answers. Standards and emotion may have very different meanings but their marriage is necessary for schools to thrive. Business and education can agree on this.

Bliss, a longtime educator and founder of the Urban Choice Charter School, is a City School District teacher.